Monday, October 31, 2011

Cure Procrastination!

  You procrastinate don't you? It's okay, because so do I and so does most of us. Problem is that procrastination can be extremely harmful to your grades. And if you're trying to get your grades up to get into the college that you want to attend then you want to avoid procrastination at all costs.

  Yes, it is very hard to avoid procrastination and there are several different types of procrastinating. You could have mild or severe procrastination tendencies, either way it is harmful to your grade.

Ways to cure you procrastination:

1) Develop a study routine every week where you spend the same time each day to a specific subject regardless of the amount of homework you have.

2) Avoid distractions. Don't tailor your homework schedule to your social life or your t.v. schedule. Because The Simpsons and Family Guy is on Sunday night's does not mean you shouldn't study Sunday night. Make school work your top priority. Also make your study area free from your usual distractions. Turn off your phone, make sure you don't have a computer or television in the room. This will allow you to focus on your schoolwork.



Sunday, October 30, 2011

You Don't Have To Be Smart To Get Good Grades


One common misconception that a lot of people think is that to get good grades, you have to be naturally smart. THIS IS NOT TRUE. Yes, being naturally smart helps get good grades, but it is NOT necessary. So if you’re not naturally really smart, do not let that get to you. A great work ethic is just as important as natural intelligence. If you aren’t blessed with the ability to do great in school without trying don’t worry. If you can develop a good work plan then you can get good grades without being naturally very smart.

My advice to the people who are not very intelligent, and I am one of these people, study hard and frequently, focus in class, and always stay focused and motivated. Because you CAN do well like your very intelligent classmates.


5 Tips To Get Better Grades


5 quick tips to get better grades in school

1)   Study hard and often – Simply cramming for your next exam the day before you take it is NOT an effective studying technique. It may seem helpful to the people who practice it, but compared to spaced studying it is not as productive. One benefit of spaced studying is that you actually LEARN the material you are studying. Cramming the night before your exam helps you memorize some material but how much do you actually retain? Learning the material rather than cramming will cause you to retain more of the information needed to succeed on the exam. And in my opinion, studying and hour a day for the 5 days leading up to the exam is more effective than studying for 5 hours the night before the exam.

2)   Avoid distractions when doing schoolwork – Whether you are studying, typing a paper, or doing homework, it is very important that you are focused and dedicated to the schoolwork that you’re working on. I know facebook and is very tempting, but when doing homework GET OFF facebook. Whenever I type a paper, the distractions caused by the T.V or facebook makes writing a relatively simple paper much harder to right. I lose my train of thought and cannot get into rhythm when writing. So when doing schoolwork, sign off facebook, turn off the t.v., and hide your phone.

3)   Go to class and take notes – If you’re in college like me, sleeping in and skipping class is so easy and feels great. However it could be terrible for your grades. It’s very important to go to class and every day and take good notes. One good reason for this is that the professor teaching that class is also the one giving the tests. So the notes that you are taking have the material that will DEFINITELY be on your next exam. The book has tons of extra information that you might not need to know. So if you’re going to read the book or go to class, going to class will generally be focused on the testing material and leave out a lot of the junk from the book. Now I’m not saying to not read your text, but if you are going to do one or the other, go to class.

4)   Develop a studying and homework schedule- I think a good way to develop good studying and homework habits is to create a schedule during the week where you decide what days you work on particular class subjects. So what I’m saying is avoid working sporadically. For example, Monday and Wednesday from 4pm-6pm I’m going to study and do homework for my psychology class. Then from 6pm-8pm I am going to study and do homework for my economy class. Tuesday and Thursday I’m going to work from 4pm-6pm on Algebra, then from 6pm-8pm I’m going to work on Biology. Developing a consistent studying schedule will be helpful to remain focused and motivated throughout the term.

5)   Get a GOOD nights sleep and eat breakfast- A lot of people underestimate the effects of getting a good nights sleep and a small meal before class. In my opinion, staying up all night cramming for your exam is more harmful to your grade then most think. You want to be sharp and awake on the day of your exam rather than groggy. And in terms of breakfast, you do not need to eat a full meal before class. Most of the time we do not have time to do this. But simply eating a bagel or a yogurt with a glass of OJ will cause your body to be much happier compared to downing a frappe. Not being hungry during an exam will let your mind focus on the exam rather than your hunger.